In any divorce or separation case, the Court must ‘determine the nature and extent of both separate and community property' before equitably dividing assets and debts.

When a buyer and seller agree on a purchase price, many people assume the hard part of the negotiation is over. In reality, some of the most consequential decisions in any M&A transaction are made after the headline number is set—starting with the fundamental question of deal structure.

Every business owner who has been through an M&A transaction will tell you the same thing: the issues that slowed or killed the deal were almost never the obvious ones.

On September 4, 2025, the Washington Supreme Court issued a major decision in Branson v. Washington Fine Wine & Spirits, LLC, clarifying employers' obligations under the state's Equal Pay and Opportunities Act...

You’ve probably heard the term “alimony,” but Washington Courts refer to payments between divorcing or divorced spouses as “Spousal Support.” So, how do you know if you qualify for receiving spousal support?...

The ancient Roman legal maxim "Allegans Contraria Non Est Audiendus" evolved into the modern doctrine of judicial estoppel, which prevents parties from taking contradictory positions in court proceedings.

"Shouldn't the court outright dismiss the case?" "There's no way the court will agree with them, right?" "We can get this dismissed quickly, right?"

In civil lawsuits, each side normally pays its own legal bills. However, a contract, statute, or "recognized equitable doctrine" may force the loser to pay the winner's fees and costs.

When business owners prepare to sell their company, they tend to focus on the headline items: purchase price, closing conditions, and transition plans.

Seller financing offers an alternative path to homeownership for buyers who struggle to meet conventional lending requirements, providing flexibility for both parties while potentially avoiding broker fees. However, these transactions require careful legal documentation including loan agreements, promissory notes, and deeds of trust to prevent adverse consequences. A real estate attorney can guide buyers and sellers through the complexities of seller-financed deals, from drafting paperwork to addressing tit

I recently wrote a blog post here regarding some of the considerations involved for landlords and tenants in commercial leasing. The complex issues pertaining to commercial leasing can sometimes turn into disputes...

Washington State's recording system is designed to make it easy for the public to see who owns what interests in real estate. When someone conveys an interest in real estate, the conveyance is generally effective...

In Washington State, when a property owner defaults on a loan secured by a deed of trust, the beneficiary under the deed of trust has many options for enforcement, including, but not limited...

Most real estate purchase and sale agreements involve the acquisition of residential real estate, often housing (apartment style units, townhomes, single family homes, etc.), for the purpose of serving as a primary...

Imagine your quiet cul-de-sac suddenly becomes the center of a heated property dispute. That happened to the litigants in Stoney Meadows Homeowners Association v. Ten Kley...

For years, beneficiaries could inherit a traditional IRA from a loved one and "stretch" it out by deferring unpaid income taxes for years or even decades with a life expectancy payout.

Revenue is what most business owners focus on when thinking about valuation. Revenue matters—but sophisticated buyers do not just look at how much revenue a business generates. They look at the quality and durability of that revenue: how it is contracted, how long it has, how protected it is, and whether it will survive a change of ownership.

Many Washington employers assume that paying a salary and giving an employee a “manager” title is enough to treat the role as overtime-exempt. In practice, that assumption can be expensive.

Most people alive today were born after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. We may be inclined to take for granted that civil rights are so engrained in our society that racial discrimination is only...

I have previously published several blog posts regarding the push from Compass Real Estate to allow private real estate listings.